Railroad-switch



(No Model.) 2 SheetsSheet 1.

' S. B. NIOKUM.

RAILROAD SWITCH 1311. Patented D9019, 1882.

WITNESSES.

INVENT0R.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

S. B. NIGKUM.

RAILROAD SWITGH.

. Patented Deo.19. 1882.

IN VEW TOR.

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NITED STATES PATENT Erica.

SYLVANIS B. NIOKUM, OF MARION, INDIANA.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,311, dated December19, 1882.

Application filed November 29, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, SYLVANIS B. NIoKUM, ofthe town of Marion, county of Grant, and State of Indiana, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvementsin Railroad-Switches, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My said invention consists of apparatus whereby an air-pump or suchsimilar device may be manipulated to operate a railway switch orswitches, as will be hereinafter specifically described.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof,and on which similar letters of reference indicate similar parts, Figure1 is a perspective-view of a. section of double railway-track, with aswitch in each track, and provided with myimproved apparatus; Fig. 2, aplan View of so much of the track as is necessary to show one of theswitches and that portion of the apparatus which directly operates thesame; Fig. 3, a transverse vertical section of the track andaccompanying apparatus on the dotted line 00 a, Fig. 2, near the pointof the switch; Fig. 4, a similar view to Fig. 3, except that the partsare operated so that the switch is in a different position; Fig. 5, asectional view of the operating mechanism forming part of my in-.vention and its immediate connections, and

Fig. 6 a detail view of the switch'lock.

In said drawings, the portions marked A represent the ordinaryrailroad-rails; B B, the movable rails ot'the switches; U, the frogs; D,non-movable switchrails connecting the frogs to the rails A; E,cylinders alongside the track, at or near the points of the switchrails;F F F F F pipes leading from said cylinders to a pipe, F, connected withan airpump or compressor; G, said pump or compressor; H, a steam orwater engine cylinder connected with said air-pump; I, a piston-rod,preferably extending from said pump to said engine, and carryingpiston-heads for both; and J, a. lever by which the valves connectedwith this invention are operated.

in connection with this invention I prefer to use that character ofswitch wherein the switch-rails come to an edge and rest closely againstthe sides of the track-rails, as shown in the drawings,though it isapplicable as well to the older and more common form, where theswitch-rails and track-rails abut.

The switch-rails B B are connected by bars I), as usual, and areoperated by an attachment from the operating parts 'to the one of saidbars nearest the points of the rails.

The cylinder E contains a piston, E, the rod of which is connected tothe bar 1), (preferably by a slidingjoint, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4,)

. and as said piston is forced back and forth by the compression orexhaustion of air in said cylinder the movable switch-rails areoperated, and the switch is thereby opened or closed. As beforestated,the connection between the piston-rod and the tie-bar of theswitch is preferably a sliding joint. A satisfactoryjoiut of thischaracter is formed by providing upon the under side of said bar adownwardly-projecting lug, b*, which has an opening through which saidpiston-rod may slide,

and providing said piston-rod on each side of said lug with collars orprojections e, which will not pass through the opening in said lug,thereby defining the distance which said piston-rod may moveindependently of said bar, it being desirable that such a movementshould be permitted for purposes which will now be explained. Apawl orcatch, E is secured by a pivot, 0 to the cross-tie of the railroad, orto some other substantially-immovable part, in such relation to thetie-bar b that it will engage with a notch or projection, b, thereon,and when so engaged will hold said tie-bar and the switch-rails thereonfirmly in position, which is of course important, as it prevents thepossibility of the jarring ofpassing trains displacing the switch. It isalsoimportant that said catch be disengaged automatically when theapparatus is operated to set the switch to the siding. This is done bymeans of a notch in the piston-rod E, into which the other end of thepawl E enters, it being forced therein by a spring, as shown in Fig. 6,and where it rests when the switch is set to the main. When the switchis being set to the siding the first operation moves the piston-rodwithout moving the switch until the collar thereon nearest the pistonstrikes the lug on the tie-bar, by which time the notch in saidpiston-rod has moved out from under the pawl E forcing the latter IOC upinto a substantially-horizontal position and freeing the engagementbetween it and the tiebar, whereby the piston-rod, in continuing itsmovement, is enabled to force the tie-bar and switch-rails to theirproper position.

The pipes F, F, 850., are branches of the pipe F, which leads to thecylinder of the air pump or compressor G, and each conducts the air,water, steam, or gas which operates the piston E to one of the cylindersE, and is opened and closed by a cook or valve,f.

The cylinder G is provided with a valve, g, for the admission of air,which is operated by the rod g, which is in turn operated by the leverJ. It is also provided with an open vent, g behind the piston-head Gtherein. The operation of this piston-head, as will be readilyunderstood, compresses the air in the pipes F, F, &c., and cylinders Eas it moves forward, and exhausts it as it moves backward, the supplybeing kept up through the valve g.

The cylinder H and the valves and other connections shown are simply-theparts of an ordinary steam or water engine, and are shown as aconvenient and desirable means of furnishing power to operate myinvention.

The piston-rod 1 extends into both the cylinder H and the cylinder G,and carries the piston-heads H and G upon its ends respectively, and themovement of said heads is thus rendered coincidental.

The lever J is pivoted atj to some stationary portion of the device,'andhas pivoted thereto atj the rod 9', which connects with the valve g, andatj' the rod h, which connects with the valve h, and said valves arethereby enabled to be operated by means of said lever.

The operation of my invention may be recapitulated as follows: Thesteam, air, or water enters through the pipe El and operates upon thehead-H in the usual manner, and, the valve 1 being closed, operates thehead G to compress the air into the pipe F and whichever of its branchesis open, and thus, through the cylinderE and piston E, pushes theswitchrails into the position shown in Fig. 4. WVhen this operation isreversed and the piston forced back to the position shown in thedrawings the air in the pipes and cylinders is so far exhausted as todraw the switch-rails back into the position shown in Fig. 3.

It may be well to remark that the valves 5 and h are secured to thelever J in such relation that when one is open the other is alwaysclosed. This is so that when the apparatus is at rest there will be freecommunication between the inside of the cylinder G and the outer air,and when the apparatus is being operated that such communication shallbe interrupted.

As will be understood in reading the foregoing specification, I preferto use atmospheric air to operate the switches, although I do notconfine myself to it. Any motive power may be used that is convenient ordesirable, the steam or water engine shown forming no part of myinvention.

I am aware of the Patent No.188,851, of March 27, 1877, in which atoggle-joint is used as a locking means, and such construction is notsought to be covered in this application.

Having thus fully described my said invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a railroad-switch adapted to be operated by fluid-pressure, thecombination ofthe switch-rails, the tie-bar b, having rigid perforatedlug b and lug b, the piston-rod adapted to slide, to a limited extent,through said lug b the pivoted catch E and the spring resting thereon,the whole adapted to serve as a switchlock, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, in a railroad-switch-opcrating mechanism, of acylinder adapted for the reception of steam or water, and anaircompressing cylinder operated by the rod of the steam or watercylinder, and a pipe for conducting the compressed air to a series ofbranch pipes, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal, atIndianapolis, Indiana, this 25th day of November, A. D. 1881.

. SYLVANIS B. NIOKUM. [L. s]

In presence of- G. BRADFORD, CHAS. L. TIIURBER.

